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HRS §11-365

Lobbyists cannot give money during legislative sessions

During legislative sessions and the five days before and after, lobbyists cannot give money or gifts to elected officials, candidates, or certain political groups. Those people cannot accept such gifts either. If a gift is given anyway, it goes to the state election fund, and the ethics office will send the case to the campaign spending commission.

state agencies

The statute, as written — Contributions and expenditures by lobbyists prohibited during legislative session

(a) During any regular session or special session of the legislature, including any extension of any regular session or special session and any legislative recess days, holidays, and weekends, and for five calendar days before and after a session, no lobbyist shall make, or promise to make at a later time, any contributions or expenditures to or on behalf of an elected official, candidate, candidate committee, or any other individual required to file an organizational report pursuant to section 11-321. No elected official, candidate, candidate committee, or other individual required to file an organizational report pursuant to section 11-321 shall accept, or agree to accept at a later time, any contribution from a lobbyist during the specified period under this subsection. Any contribution prohibited by this subsection shall escheat to the Hawaii election campaign fund. An elected official, candidate, candidate committee, or any other individual required to file an organizational report pursuant to section 11-321, alleged to have received a prohibited contribution in violation of this section, shall be administratively referred by the state ethics commission executive director to the campaign spending commission. (b) For the purposes of this section: "Elected official" has the same meaning as in section 11-342. "Lobbyist" means any person actively registered as a lobbyist with a state or county ethics board or commission. "Session" means a period in which both legislative houses are in session.
Read the official text at capitol.hawaii.gov ↗as published Jan 6, 2026our copy taken Aug 20, 2026

Sections this one refers to

§11-321 Registering a candidate or noncandidate committee

LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.